Why is teaching taxonomy & cladistics

so difficult?

Why is teaching taxonomy & cladistics

so difficult?-the problems-the old way-the proposed new ways

-the problems-the old way-the proposed new ways

The ProblemsThe Problems-teaching information to a wide variety of abilities: majors & non-majors both with range of background knowledge-teaching a complicated concept (taxonomy, cladistics & evolution) to complete understanding-teaching a new and extensive vocabulary-teaching using organisms that are unfamiliar to illustrate a complex idea (a double wammy)

-teaching information to a wide variety of abilities: majors & non-majors both with range of background knowledge-teaching a complicated concept (taxonomy, cladistics & evolution) to complete understanding-teaching a new and extensive vocabulary-teaching using organisms that are unfamiliar to illustrate a complex idea (a double wammy)

The Old WayThe Old Way

-Linnean Hierarchy vs cladistics-Venn Diagrams-extensive vocabulary without connection to examples-Cladograms, cladograms and more cladograms-’Nuts & Bolts’ Exercise (too open ended)

-Linnean Hierarchy vs cladistics-Venn Diagrams-extensive vocabulary without connection to examples-Cladograms, cladograms and more cladograms-’Nuts & Bolts’ Exercise (too open ended)

The (Proposed) New Ways

The (Proposed) New Ways

-’Nuts & Bolts’ exercised revamped to make it more specific-Use of new materials to illustrate cladograms (Tinker Toys, pipe cleaner, mobiles)-Creation of a board game to illustrate evolution and its relationship to cladograms

-’Nuts & Bolts’ exercised revamped to make it more specific-Use of new materials to illustrate cladograms (Tinker Toys, pipe cleaner, mobiles)-Creation of a board game to illustrate evolution and its relationship to cladograms

“Nuts & Bolts” exercise

“Nuts & Bolts” exercise

-use nuts and bolts to place on a pre-drawn cladogram-provide a specific ‘ancestor’ (eliminates students’ picking at random most primitive item)-give specific ‘character states’ to have students place items on cladogram-or roll dice to randomly choose next character (includes evolutionary theory)

-use nuts and bolts to place on a pre-drawn cladogram-provide a specific ‘ancestor’ (eliminates students’ picking at random most primitive item)-give specific ‘character states’ to have students place items on cladogram-or roll dice to randomly choose next character (includes evolutionary theory)

New Hands-on exercisesNew Hands-on exercises-use of Tinker toys, pipe cleaners or mobile to show physical relations between clades and that nodes are inter-changeable (students have difficulty with rotation around a node, ie sister groups)-use of preprinted ‘fake’ organisms with evolutionary characters that students place on cladogram (with associated characters). Shows increasing of complexity and eliminates the need for pre-knowledge of organisms.-use of dice to randomly assign new characters to organisms as they evolve. Then create a cladogram of evolutionary pathway.-creation of a board game (similar to ‘Life’) that uses cards with evolutionary information (niches, physical characters, environmental factors, extinction, etc) to advance through time.

-use of Tinker toys, pipe cleaners or mobile to show physical relations between clades and that nodes are inter-changeable (students have difficulty with rotation around a node, ie sister groups)-use of preprinted ‘fake’ organisms with evolutionary characters that students place on cladogram (with associated characters). Shows increasing of complexity and eliminates the need for pre-knowledge of organisms.-use of dice to randomly assign new characters to organisms as they evolve. Then create a cladogram of evolutionary pathway.-creation of a board game (similar to ‘Life’) that uses cards with evolutionary information (niches, physical characters, environmental factors, extinction, etc) to advance through time.